New Home Smells!

Walls can absorb odors. You may need to repaint.

1 mom found this helpful

I have a front loader washer too and sometimes smell that mildew/musty smell. I would try the suggestions that the other Moms have made to clean out the machine. After that.... I only use Arm & Hammer liquid laundry detergent and it seems to keep that mildew/musty smell down. Occasionally I do use Affresh. Tide also has a washing machine cleaner that you can get at Safeway.

Re the smoky closet--maybe she worked in a place that was smoky and it got into her coats----

I would wash the closets with vinegar water and if that doesn't help, reapint them (all surfaces) starting with Kilz as you primer.

I used scented soaps and cups of charcoal in a musty-smelling linen closet. Probably should have repainted.

Re washer--can you move them and check the floor underneath? floor could be rotting/mildewed from water not draining properly. Also, check if there is any kind of filter that needs to be removed or cleaned. Clean from the back of the washer too, as far in as you can get.

Sniff inside the standpipe, or wherever it drains into-- maybe the smell is there?

Our house stank even after we threw out carpets that had cat/dog pee/poop on them,and after some repainting and re-papering. Found out our washer drained directly into the crawlspace (water was not piped into septic tank). Our kitchen sink went straight in to ground (also not piped to septic). When these things were fixed it was amazing the improvement we got!

Get a dehumidifier.

Good luck!

K. Z.

Start the washer with hot water add vinegar to the cycle let it sit overnite then restart cycle.
closets can they be repainted.Leave doors opened before filling them up with your clothing and jackets.
Avoid moth balls I hate that smell plus it makes things smell worse not any fresher.
Yankee Candle has the best stongest odor smelling gel jars place them all around your home
You can always use vinegar and water to spray everything down with then use a dry cloth to clean it up

for the washer, run an empty load with 1 cup vinagar.

re: the smoke smell, could it be the neighbors? We used to live in a town home and our basement always smelled like pot and cigarettes due to the neighbors smoking.

There is a product called Kilz that you can spray on the walls before repainting and that should take care of any odor lingering on the walls from smoking.

Hi C.~
Put a couple of pieces of charcoal in a bowl and place them in the closets. That should remove the odor.

As for the washer, there is a product called "Affresh". Website is www.affresh.com or call 1-800-643-0961. Good luck.

Lucy B.

You can put dishes of ground coffee beans in the linen closet and coat closet. As for the washer & dryer--I'd run vinegar through a cycle.

Try putting unscented kitty litter with baking soda tied in some socks to absorb some of the smell. Or charcoal that you buy to put into fish tanks.

If the condo is on the ground floor with a crawl space under neath, have it checked for leaking plumbing under the house. This will bring a mildew-y smell up into specific rooms where the leak is below. Also, for the smoke smell in the closet, I'd be willing to be the previous owner smoked outdoors, wearing a jacket which she took off and hung in that closet. Try giving the inside of the closet a coat of paint with Kilz (sp?) primer. It will seal odors that have absorbed into the walls.

1) Paint 2) Paint, (I always recommend using a primer/sealer such as Kilz first) 3) Remove w/d and Paint. Check the drain hose on the washer, too.

If it's a front loader washing machine, make sure you clean in and around the gasket. It can get nasty and be a source for stinkiness.

Baking soda is great for absorbing odors, as well as charcoal.

You can also purchase tubs that absorb moisture - if the linen closet smells nasty you could try getting one of those and leaving it in there for a bit to see if perhaps it's damp.

Good luck!

My washer idea hasworked for me! Use any type of shower mildew spray. I used X-14. I sprayed it and left it for a few hours, then ran the cycle on rinse twice. As far as the rest of the house there is a product called Zero Odor that my husband and I bought on line. It is an awesome product for floors and walls. We had an old cat that peed in the laundry room accidently on the wall and this was the only thing that worked!